Hard Work, Perseverance and Faith in the Elder Gods
by Spacewheat76
Summary: After the destruction of Sunnydale, Buffy and co. have relocated to England and formed a hero academy called Summerswatch. When Giles receives a packet of ominous letters mentioning an "elder god" he sends Buffy to New England to check it out. But Buffy finds a lot more than Lovecraftian horror there when Faith shows up and their slayer bond reaches a whole new level of "tense".
1. Chapter 1

Hard Work, Perseverance and Faith in the Elder Gods

Author's Note: It's been 16 years and here I am still writing Buffy fanfiction. This one takes place a month or so after the series finale. The group has relocated to England and are all trying to fit into their new lives. This story will contain Fuffy slash because all my Buffy fanfictions contain Fuffy slash. Oh, and it's a Buffy/Lovecraft crossover. It's just coded as Buffy though because it's ya know, not going to use any Lovecraft characters. Hope you all enjoy. Review if you want and follow me on Twitter sassyspacetiger if you want to dm me and give me any private feedback. Thanks!

It was a Tuesday as it is always a Tuesday in stories such as these. Buffy Summers opened her eyes at a little after six in the morning and groaned unhappily. Her bedroom window was cracked open and the wind and rain of the early morning England storm blew in and speckled her face. She kicked her way out from under the scratchy plaid sheets wrapped around her and slid out of bed wearing her Yummy Sushi pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. She felt odd. Out of sorts. It'd been exactly a month since Sunny-D-Day and she was still totally on edge.

But maybe she was the only one. Everyone else seemed to have gotten back into the swing of things. After the collapse of the hellmouth, The Watcher's Council, being the ever pesty big brother, provided for the Scoobies and the new found army of slayerettes. The group relocated to England, just outside of London, in the small Hamlet of Kinareth. An old monastery turned training academy served as their new home. The originals all had jobs to keep them busy- Willow was in charge of training a gaggle of wanna-be witches, Xander, a tactical collection of sort-of soldiers, Dawn was back in school with a handful of slayerettes in her clique, and Giles was at the helm of it all. The operation ran smoothly. Lovingly named Summerswatch, individuals or large groups of the team were hired out by varied businesses for odd jobs or single families for protection. It was largely dependent on what the job called for- a cleansing? A few of Willow's group would go, accompanied by a couple slayers and a handful of Xander's soldiers. A self-protection class? Slayerettes and soldiers. A healing ceremony? Witches-In-Training and a few slayers for back up.

But where did that leave Buffy? Occasionally, when she got too mopey, she was asked to head a slayer training session. But for the most part found herself treading water. The slayerettes were capable. She wasn't needed anymore. She felt obsolete, like an appliance model that had just been upgraded. She was barely in her twenties but already she felt like she'd passed her prime. She was low. Going through the motions again, just as she had when she'd been brought back from heaven. Only this time there was a lot less singing and dancing and no hunky vampire to make out with during the coda.

She missed her mom. She missed 1630 Revello Drive. She missed Mr. Gordo, and the magic shop and the newly renovated high school. She missed patrolling and being the head of a household and actually having a sense of _control_. But all that was gone. And buried in a ginormous chasm in California.

Buffy stood for a moment or so longer, watching the rain run down the window panes. And then, before she could get lost in her own angst, she turned away and went to her private bathroom to shower.

The Academy was vast. Having once housed monks, the building held quite a few rooms and everyone had a bed to sleep in. The Slayerettes, the witchettes and the soldiers-in-training all had roommates. Xander had his own room and so did Buffy and Giles. Willow had been given her own as well, though Kennedy slept with her more often than not. The only other single room belonged to Faith Lehane, but no one had seen or heard from her in weeks. A few days after their arrival, she'd packed a bag and split, headed out for the open road. Wood had remained in the states following the battle and they'd went their separate ways. Faith wasn't really a relationship kinda girl anyway. It was hard to pinpoint exactly _what _kinda girl she was.

Lately the brunette had been on Buffy's mind more often than she cared to admit. The blonde had spent a great deal of her time hating the other slayer for her bad deeds and never really forgiving her for any of them either. When Faith actually proved to be an _asset _to her, Buffy was flabbergasted. For some reason, it was nearly impossible for Buffy to really accept that the dark slayer had _changed. _It was ironic that she was able to forgive Angel for losing his soul, killing Ms. Calendar and torturing her indefinitely when she couldn't forgive Faith for going rogue. Even Spike had proven himself redeemed after years of trying to kill Buffy. The slayer had forgiven Willow too, after the witch become dark and tortured a human. But she was unable to extend that same compassion to Faith when Faith had merely given in to the mayor's persuasion and acted out of loyalty for an evil father figure.

Buffy Summers' feelings for Faith Lehane had gone through many phases, some of which she'd never fully admitted even to herself. Putting it vaguely, there had been curiosity, betrayal, rage, sadness, more rage, more sadness, more betrayal, acceptance and finally, more curiosity. The only thing was.. The curiosity had been _more _that just a casual interest in someone so similar to herself. It had been a hunger for acceptance, a yearning to understand, and what's more, a very primal and, though Buffy wasn't at all ready to face it, a very _sexual_ urge to connect. And there had been moments, especially early on, where the bond they were forming threatened to cross boundaries Buffy didn't know she'd drawn. Of course she'd fought the feelings and never actually _acted _upon any of them. But there'd been dreams and fantasies and as pathetic as it proved to be, there wasn't a single time that Buffy saw Faith and her heart didn't pound in her throat. She'd swallowed buckets of fear and faced down an army of demons that had crawled straight out of Hell, and yet, just the thought of seeing that brunette again seriously gave her the wiggins.

Buffy put on a white sweater, a brown leather jacket, some light blue jeans and her new favorite brown boots. She gently combed through her golden curls and carefully applied a modest amount of eye make-up. And then, feeling just as out of sorts as she had before the shower, the original chosen Slayer left her living quarters and headed down the long hallway of her wing of the Academy to find Rupert Giles.

The windows along the corridors were stained glass and in the sunlight they were very beautiful and incredibly vibrant. However, when the lightning struck, dark and distorted shadows were cast on the stone walls and Buffy had occasional flashbacks to darker times in Sunnydale. Kinareth was mundane, provincial and, for the most part, demon free. Buffy could count on one hand the number of times she'd actually slain a vampire since living in Kinareth. Mortality rates were incredibly low too. They hadn't lost a single member of the Academy since it had gotten up and running and Dawn had said that some of her new friends actually _walked _home from school. It was surreal. Buffy had spent the entirety of her teenage and adult life fighting the forces of evil and now there weren't really any forces to fight. That and about a million other emotions all tangled up inside her and left her with the heaviest case of ennui that she'd ever experienced.

In the very center of the monastery, up a short flight of stairs and at the back of a rather breathtaking wooden balcony was housed the abbot's office. Giles, the appointed leader of Summerswatch had been given the office for his paperwork. When he wasn't strolling about the grounds looking a bit put out and entirely too serious, he could usually be located sitting at his desk, sipping on a hot cup of tea. And that's just where Buffy found him. Only he wasn't sitting and his tea was left forgotten on the desk, a twirl of steam spiraling up out of the darkly steeped liquid.

He, too, seemed out of sorts. He stood behind the desk, his shirt untucked, his glasses hanging from one hand, the fingertips of the other rubbing the bridge of his nose just between his eyes. Behind him, a roll of thunder echoed in the distance, closely followed by the startling crackle of lightning that could be seen through the small round window at the top peak of the room. At first he didn't seem to notice his slayer's entrance and remained with his eyes closed, the wrinkles on his forehead reflecting a great deal of frustration. But then, prompted by the small sound of the office door clicking shut once more, he realized he was no longer alone and jumped in surprise.

"Ah yes," he said, clearing his throat and then carefully wiping the lenses of his glasses on a particularly wrinkled section of his untucked dress shirt, "Buffy. Good morning."

"Is it?" she replied, falling down sideways into one of the spare red leather chairs in the office that had been positioned diagonally to face his desk. "You look a little.. unGilesy."

"Oh," he replied, rather distracted, "well perhaps." Suddenly noticing his abandoned tea, he quickly moved to get it. Then, once he'd taken a few tentative sips he told her, "I'm afraid I haven't slept yet."

"I can tell," she said, sitting up straight and then reaching to get an ink pen off of his desk. She spun it in her nimble fingers and then pointed the tip of the pen at the teacup held between his palms. "I'm sure _that's _not helping. Maybe you should switch to something with more caffeine. Does tea even _have _caffeine?"

Giles bent and picked up a sheet of paper that had been laying crookedly across his keyboard. "Of course," he said, muttering to himself, "Yes, that makes absolute sense." His eyes gleamed with the sudden burst of knowledge but then he flipped the paper over and his expression lost its zeal. "But not when you take _this _into consideration."

"Giles," Buffy said, tossing the pen at his shoulder to garner his attention. "Earth to Giles."

He lay the paper back down and then sat the tea beside it. Then, lowering himself into his high backed desk chair, he said, "I'm sorry Buffy. I'm a bit distracted."

The blonde nodded. "Well yes, I can tell that. But by _what_?"

"I"m afraid I don't understand enough of it to properly explain what it is that's distracting me," was his answer. He sighed and then collected the strewn papers scattering his workspace and stacked them together. "No matter," he continued, pushing them out of his line of view. "What is it that's troubling you?"

"How do you know there's something troubling me?" the slayer inquired, tilting her head to one side.

"Buffy," he said, "I haven't all day. On the contrary, I am incredibly exhausted and yet still due to attend a meeting with the Watcher's Council at noon today."

"About what?"

"Allowances. We are in the way of having a thriving business here but we need more supplies. Food. Toiletries. Bed clothes. And we haven't a great deal of cash flow as of yet. My goal is to secure a sort of allowance." He dug in his drawer for a moment and then presented a collection of receipts. "You've no idea the sort of money this group of misfits goes through."

"I do have an idea," she replied. "I housed the potentials for quite a while."

He gave her a knowing look. "Perhaps. But now I'm worried about things a watcher _shouldn't _have to worry about."

"Like what?"

"Cohabitation! What is a training academy to do with a pregnant slayer?"

Buffy's eyes widened. "One of the girls is pregnant?"

"Oh for heaven's sake I _hope _not," Giles shook his head and removed his glasses again rather dramatically. "But imagine if something like that were to happen. There is nothing in the Watcher's handbook dealing with raising a child."

"It's doable," Buffy shrugged. "Wood survived."

"But his mother didn't," Giles frowned. "As tragic as it may sound, slayer's aren't meant to _have _families."

"Slayers aren't meant to live past the ripe old age of sixteen either," Buffy quipped, "but hey, here I am."

His eyes fell on her face then and he realized he was being rather exuberant and closed his mouth. After a rather lengthy silence, he followed up with, "Anyways, I do care about you very much and I do want to know what's on your mind."

She got up out of her chair. "How about we save the chat for _after _you take a big fat nap, huh?"

Giles gazed at the stack of paperwork he'd collected then released a long held breath. "I really ought to go to the library and.."

She shook her head. "You can do the librarian bit after you sleep away some of your angst."

It didn't take any more convincing. The older man simply finished his tea and then headed off to bed. Buffy followed him out onto the balcony to see him off and ensure he was headed to his room and not the library, but when he was out of sight, she slipped back inside the small office.

The stack of documents that had held his interest were a series of letters all signed H. P. L. They were lengthy and long winded and composed of the most pompous vocabulary. Buffy scanned a few of them and got the jist that the guy that had written them was afraid. But of what she couldn't exactly understand. Somewhere back in America, specifically somewhere in New England, something horrible and ever growing was threatening a small town, and perhaps even the very world they all inhabited. Had Buffy Summers not already diverted several apocalypses prior to reading the letters, maybe she would have been worried. But seeing as how she'd thwarted death more than once and reversed countless Armageddons, she was unphased. She rolled her eyes and tossed the letters back onto the desk.

Another day another demon, right?


	2. Chapter 2

Hard Work, Perseverance and Faith in the Elder Gods

Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hi again. So I realize now how big of an undertaking this story is going to be. In the past I wrote a lot of smut driven smut. And so.. To write something with actual real PLOT is going to be different. Here's another chapter of exposition. We'll get somewhere soon though, I promise.

Oh, and I want to thank the two people who have reviewed this story so far. I really appreciate it. Honestly. :) Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. It means a lot.

Buffy found Willow meditating in the covered cloister after breakfast. It was still storming terribly and rain was blowing in from all the open sides of the garden, but where the red-headed witch sat, the weather could not touch her. Maybe it was simply where she'd chosen to lay her yoga mat, but more likely, her own radiating energy reflected the storm. Buffy stood in the doorway, where the refectory opened up to the outdoors and admired the way her best friend seemed to glow. It had been a rough year for all of them. The fact that they even had quiet moments like these was almost unbelievable. She really meant to be grateful, but honestly she was just wasn't use to the calmer life with which they'd been rewarded.

Willow Rosenberg had experienced the truest forms of being a witch. She'd let it consume her and then, after regaining control and going through rehabilitation, she'd consumed it. She was pure. She sat amidst the roses and the ferns and the lilies and felt it all through her. There had been a time that she would have never thought she'd make it this far. But life with the slayer had always surprised her. And there she was, in England, the head of a witch academy. She was grateful. She was happy. She felt her best friend come into her space and her eyelids fluttered open.

"Hi Buffy," she said, laying her hands in her lap calmly. "Sleep okay?"

But to be completely honest, she hadn't. She'd tossed and turned and had a slew of fragmented, ominous dreams that she couldn't piece together or even begin to explain. But what was new? Having creepy dreams was basically her birthright. She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. You?"

Willow knew Buffy was lying but she didn't call her out on it. She simply stood, rolled up her mat and then asked, "Why wasn't GIles at breakfast?"

"He stayed up all night trying to make sense of a bunch of letters he got. Something about elder gods and the end of the world." She shrugged. "Same ole, same ole."

But the witch looked a little worried. "The end of the world?" She frowned. "That's been happening a lot more frequently lately, hasn't it?"

"Nothing we haven't dealt with before," Buffy said, walking over to smell one particularly large red rose. "I mean, the letters were from New England, anyway. It's hard to be worried when we're all the way over here."

"But when the world ends," Willow said, "that's, ya know, all of us."

Buffy sighed. "You know I was going to tell Giles about how bored I was and how I really hoped something exciting would happen soon because I'm kinda going stir crazy.. But I honestly don't know if I'm up for tackling a whole new Hellmouth, yet."

"Neither am I," Willow replied, her yoga mat under her arm. She walked over to the wall and held out her palm, raindrops bouncing off her skin. "I was really hoping for a big break, ya know? Like things would calm down after all that."

"I don't think we'll ever get a big break Will," the slayer told her, her voice a little sad and a whole lot serious. "I mean you might. You should. It's not your curse to bear. But It's mine. And as long as I'm the slayer, I'm going to be in the throws of it, ya know?"

"But you're not the only one now," Willow argued. "And I'm just as in this as you are and you know that. Back in Sunnydale we made it _all _our fight. And that's why we made it. You don't have to do alone ever again."

It felt good to hear, even if ultimately Buffy knew where they stood. Willow always had the option to back away whereas Buffy never could. They walked back inside together and made their way to the church, which some of the younger initiates used to do homework or yoga or even worship if they actually felt that would help. It was empty for the time being though, and the two girls made their way up to the front and took a seat on one of the empty benches.

"So if Giles gets a group together and sends them there would you go?"

Buffy leaned back and looked up at the stained glass. The booming thunder echoed in the large open room. "Honestly? I think I'd ask to go. I don't want to face an apocalypse but I want to do _something_."

"Maybe a trip would be good for you then," Willow said, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "I mean, I can tell you're not happy."

"I'm not _unhappy_," the slayer pressed. "I'm just.. I don't even know what it is. I feel useless."

"You know that's not true," Willow returned, her eyebrows furrowed. "You're very useful. You train the slayers and you know more about slaying than any of us. You know tactics and help Xander, and you keep me and the other witches focused on the good fight. You're a fountain of usefulness."

"Maybe," Buffy replied, but her comment was followed by a sigh. And then, before she'd even realized she meant to ask, she heard herself say, "What do you think Faith is up to?"

Willow frowned. "Faith? I don't know. I hadn't really thought about Faith since she skipped town." She looked at the blonde curiously. "What made you think of her?" Faith was not one of Willow's favorite people, that was for sure. She'd done a whole slew of bad deeds that categorized the girl as _persona non grata_. At least in Willow's book. In Sunnydale she'd kinda almost redeemed herself, yeah. But her whole mutiny bit had seriously soured the taste of her.

"I dunno," Buffy responded, shrugging it off like it was no big deal. "I guess Faith has always kinda lived the solo life, ya know? Always had me to count on to fight the forces of evil while she ran off and.. Did whatever Faith does."

"Wears leather and sleeps around?" the redhead provided.

Buffy grimaced. "I guess so." The original slayer got Faith's fashion choices. They were a bit more biker-esque than her own, but the brunette pulled the look off really well and Buffy couldn't deny that. It was just that.. Buffy didn't sleep around. She could count on one hand the number of people she'd had sex with and she still wished she could take most of them back. With Angel it had just been the once. He'd been her first and so he'd taken her virginity and she'd taken his soul. Parker had been a forgettable college fling. Riley had been a gallant effort to have a _normal _relationship. And Spike had been.. A mistake. She'd tried her best to really feel something for him and even told him she'd loved him during the end.. But the sex had been destructive, both physically and mentally. If she could take it any of it back, she'd probably have taken it all back. She had so much regret and so it made her wonder whether or not Faith had any at all. She knew for a fact the other slayer had slept with Xander in high school, Riley while wearing her body, and Wood while they all shacked up in Buffy's house. And that was just casual Faith being casual Faith. Buffy wondered how many there actually had been but she was also concerned as to why she cared.

The witch surveyed the other girl's troubled face during the long period of silence that followed her short response. And then she she put her hand on Buffy's knee and said, "I know this is all really different, but you'll find your place and everything will go back to normal."

But Buffy wasn't really sure if she wanted things to go back to normal. She existed in this purgatory of indecision. She hated the past and she was incredibly apprehensive about the future. "Faith wouldn't sit around and mope," she explained, "she'd be like _Hell yeah _and then go off on some cross-country adventure or something. I should just suck it up and get over my own issues and be like Faith."

"Don't be like Faith," Willow replied quickly, "Be like Buffy. I love Buffy."

"I don't know who Buffy is," Buffy told her. "I knew who Buffy _was_. Back in Sunnydale, I mean. And I think I'm tired of being that girl. I want to do something else. I want to live, you know?"

"Live?" The other girl was having a hard time following what her friend was saying. "Like what do you mean? Like not slay?"

Buffy got up, stretched her arms out in front of her and then bent and touched her toes feeling the same restlessness she'd felt for weeks. "I dunno," she offered, rising back to her full height, which was a towering 5 foot 4 inches. "I mean I can't really deny my sacred birthright. But maybe I could forget about it for a while."


	3. Chapter 3

Hard Work, Perseverance and Faith in the Elder Gods

Chapter 3

Author's Note: I spent yesterday looking up the most cringey Buffy fanart. The four worst ones we found were a mostly naked sketch of a romantically paired Angel&Spike, a _horrible _drawing of Spike that someone definitely didn't even try on, a picture of Spike as a sensual fairy (wings and all).. And my personal favorite, a big bosomed, pirate attire wearing Buffy & Willow. Willow didn't have any pants on. That is all. Here's chapter 3.

Alexander Lavelle Harris had spent his formative years being Buffy's sidekick. He loved the girl with his entire heart and would stop at nothing to ensure her safety. There were countless times that Xander had purposely put himself in harm's reach to keep Buffy from it. He'd done a shit-ton of dangerous things to protect her and help keep Sunnydale as demon free as possible. He'd even single-handedly saved the world once without any of the other's knowledge. But Xander was tired of being a sidekick. And so when the Scoobies relocated to Kinareth and started _Summerswatch, _it was his pestering determination that won him the right to train a whole group of tactical soldiers.

After years of living in his abusive father's basement, doing dead-end construction jobs and wallowing in the regret that came with leaving the only woman he'd ever been in love with at the alter, he had finally found his purpose. And his purpose was pretty darn cool. After a spell had turned him and all his friend's into their costumes on a ill-fated Halloween night in high school, Xander had learned some pretty useful army training skills. Actually, he'd been given all the knowledge to be a highly successful soldier. And that kinda info just sticks with you.

Now, with a few more years under his belt, and a rad new eyepatch covering one eye, Xander was _the man_. He wore all black and stood at attention a lot and had a bunch of teen boys looking up to him for guidance. He'd finally stepped out of Buffy's shadow. And boy was it nice being in the sun for a change. That being said, he hadn't touched base with the eldest slayer in a couple of days and really missed her. So that stormy Tuesday morning, he set off through the reclaimed monastery to find her and eventually stumbled across Buffy and Willow both, chatting in the old church.

"There's my two favorite girls," Xander said, cheerfully, his hands in the pockets of his ironed black slacks. He strolled up to them with a noticeable pep in his step. A pep that hadn't exactly existed before they'd relocated. "Can I join you guys or is it girls time?"

Willow turned and greeted her oldest friend with a smile. "Hey Xander, of course you can join us. How ya doin'?"

Buffy smiled at him as well, though not as happily as Willow had. Sometimes her own angst felt like a weighted blanket that had been draped over her shoulders. "Hey Xan," she offered. "How's life as a commander?"

What Xander had started in his little wing of Summerwatch was essentially Black Ops. He trained them physically and mentally to do recon missions, tactical sweeps and whatever else was needed. Being called the commander by someone like Buffy was kinda invigorating. "Hey Will," he said, "Buff. I'm doing great. Really livin' the life, ya know? How about you two?" He came and sat down beside his redheaded friend and then carefully touched his perfectly gelled hair. He'd started keeping it short and well styled. He'd also started working out regularly. The results made him feel macho and maybe even like a little bit of badass. He was even thinking of buying a black leather jacket.

"The coven is really catching on fast," Willow gushed, referring to her magical littles. "All of them are super fast learners. Madelyn, the newest member, just did her first incantation yesterday and it was kind of weak but it always is when you first start out. The point is she really gave it her all and wants to work at it until she's perfect."

"Hey, that's great," Xander pushed the witch playfully. He looked up to Buffy, sure, but he always had a soft spot for Willow. He'd known her since they were little. They were practically babies together. He'd saved her from ending the world just by mentioning the yellow crayon they'd shared as kids. He loved her unconditionally. And he was proud of her for getting clean and using her magic for good. "I have a newby too. Named Boo. He's a big lumbering kid. But he's strong. And he's smart. Gonna make a good soldier."

"Boo?" Willow asked in clarification. "I think I've seen him around. He's bulky and has really light blonde hair? I think he's actually got a crush on Dawnie."

Usually, the mention of her younger sister's romantic interests would have peaked Buffy's interest. But as her friends had gushed about their positions, she'd began to space out. She looked up at the stained glass above her and admired the way the rain dripped down the image of Mary and made it look as though she were crying. Honestly, it kind of gave her the heebie-jeebies. Outside it was pouring but the rain ran down the image in a way that seemed absolutely disconnected from the rest of the world. She was so focused on watching the way the tears formed and slid away that she didn't hear the other two trying to get her attention. And so when Xander got up, went to her and put his hand on her shoulder, she instinctively grabbed his wrist and flipped him in an instantaneous reaction. The thud of his body slamming against the polished stone floor of the church echoed. And then she turned and looked down into his stunned face and it all kinda dawned on her what she needed to do.

She reached out and pulled him back up as he caught his breath, apologizing a few times for what had happened. Xander wasn't really that surprised that the slayer had laid him out. She'd done it a few times. It was his fault for startling her really. The thing was, he could tell just by the far off look in her eyes that whatever had her distracted must have been intense. Being in the background, he'd gotten really good at reading people.

"I'm sorry you guys," she said again, wiping off her male friend's shoulders where the dust of the floor had dirtied them. "I've been kinda out of it lately," she explained. "Rudderless. Like a big boat without.. Rudders." She shook her head fumbling over her analogy. "Anyway, I think I got it. I think I know what I want to do now." She cleared her throat. "I'm taking a sabbatical."

"A sabbatical?" Willow repeated.

"Yes," the blonde nodded. "A sabbatical. Somewhere far away."

Xander gingerly rubbed his back where it had collided with the less than forgiving floor. "And it took flipping me and breaking my spine to realize that?"

The slayer shrugged. "Well another word for sabbatical is break," she said. And on that note she turned on her heels and headed out of the church and back down on the hallway, her friends looking after her in sheer bewilderment.

Buffy Summers was a hero. She'd won an umbrella for being a hero in highschool, her friends had told her she was a hero countless times, and her headstone had even proclaimed it. After all she'd saved the world. _A lot_. And that wasn't the only thing she provided. She was a well seasoned fighter, a fearless warrior, and a pretty snappy dresser. She was a good leader, an amazing friend and a pretty great counselor. She could do a front handspring-stepout, roundoff back handspring stepout, roundoff back handspring full-twisting layout with absolutely no problem. And she looked cute doing it. What she wasn't was reckless. And she really wanted to be reckless for a change.

A freshly showered Giles stood in the refectory as Buffy entered. He'd changed into another of his countless tweed suits and looked a lot more pressed than he had earlier that morning. In one hand he held a new cup of tea and in the other, the _Kinareth Daily Record. _When she hurried up to him, he lifted the drink to his lips, took a long sip and then said, "Hello again Buffy," without even looking up from the paper.

"I want to go," she said without any context. "Can I go?"

He shook the paper and replied, casually, "You want to go where? You're an adult, I suppose you have the ability to go anywhere you please."

"New England," she told him. "I read the letters you got. The ones about the end of the world or elder gods or whatever." She took his paper and his tea and sat them down on the windowsill that he stood in front of. "I'm volunteering myself. I want to go."

He looked back at his steaming beverage longingly and then sighed and removed his glasses. She knew that was coming. "Buffy, do try to pay attention when I tell you things." He cleaned the lenses and then put them back on the bridge of his nose with practiced precision. "I haven't gotten a clue what that man was rambling about. I thought sleep would clear it all up for me. But now I'm just as lost as I had been before." He got his tea and the paper and walked towards the exit to the halls with Buffy trailing behind him. "Truth be told, the writer of those letters has probably heard about _Summerswatch_ and gotten keen. We musn't put much stock into issues so trivial.."

"I think it could be something," Buffy interrupted him, "I think it could be a big something. End of the world. Apocalypse. Armageddon even. And I'm here. Doing nothing. Just waiting for something to be doing instead of not doing anything and doing the nothing that I'm not doing."

"Buffy," he said, "that's a double negative." He frowned. "Quite possibly a triple negative."

"I want to _go_," she insisted. "You're having a meeting with the council later right? And they love us because we closed a Hellmouth right?" When they reached his office, she held the door open and slipped into the tiny room after him. "Ask them to fly me out there. Get me a hotel or a motel for all I care. And I'll do the investigating thing. And you can do the watching from a far thing and I can report back to you if I see anything wacky."

He raised his eyebrows and turned to look at her. "Do you really think this H.P.L individual could have merit?"

Truth be told, she didn't. She'd barely skimmed the letters for content and in the process all the charm and elegance of them had been lost. That is, if they'd had an charm or elegance. Were they legit? Probably not. Giles was more than likely right, as usual. Someone heard through the slayer-demon-grape-vine that _Summerswatch _was up and running and decided to poke the fire. She'd get there, do some snooping, uncover a big goose egg. And that would be that. But her plan was simple. She'd stretch out the gig as long as needed and in the meantime she'd have some fun. Maybe even R rated fun, or at the very least PG-13. "I definitely do," she lied, trying to look sincere. "And I cannot sit ideally by while evil runs rampant in.. New Hampshire?"

"The letters were from Massachusetts."

"Massachusetts, I meant."

He was thoughtful for a moment and then he sat down and continued to drink his tea. The anticipation of his decision was almost as painful as being body slammed by an uber vamp. But she got through it. And eventually, after several more sips of tea, another quick scan of the morning news and a quick ruffle of his hair, Giles said, "Well I don't suppose a little investigation would hurt. I'll bring it to the attention of the council and perhaps we can get some funding."


	4. Chapter 4

Hard Work, Perseverance and Faith in the Elder Gods

Chapter 4

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Author's Note: So it's been a couple of weeks since my last update.. But hey, it wouldn't be fanfiction if you didn't have to wait an uncomfortable amount of time between chapters, right? Anyways, thanks again to those that have reviewed so far. My girlfriend is pushing me to write the next chapter.. So here we go.

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Dawn Summers was 17 and for the first time in her life, she was finally able to do the normal type of stuff 17-year-olds did. She went to school, made friends, did her homework and even talked to the occasional boy. She lived in the equivalent of a large dorm with everyone she'd ever loved and for once in her life, didn't live in fear. She didn't have countless nightmares about creatures lurking in the darkness and she didn't spend her days worrying that her sister, the person she cared more about than anyone else on the planet, would wind up dead fighting them. Buffy wasn't the only slayer anymore and that meant she no longer held the world on her shoulders. The Summers sisters were actually able to relax in England.

"But what are you doing later though," Boo Hardly asked the spunky brunette teenager. "I mean after dinner."

The soldier-to-be had insisted on walking her home that afternoon. Her best friend Vi had hung back a bit so the two could talk alone. Dawn had gushed about the hunky blonde practically all through lunch. He was so cute and chiseled and funny. But the closer they got to the monastery, the more nervous she became. Having a crush and actually talking to the crush were two completely different things.

Dawn's cheeks were pink and she kept her hands wrapped around her backpack straps to hide the fact that they were shaking. "I don't know," she told him as they walked down the winding stone path that led up to to the large wooden door of the academy. "Probably spending time with Buffy."

"You always spend time with Buffy," he said, holding the door open for her.

"Well she's my sister," she replied.

He looked thoughtful. They strolled through the foyer and towards the cloister where she always did her homework. "What if you spend time with Buffy tomorrow?" Boo suggested, . "And," he cut her off in the doorway and very unexpectedly took her hand in his. "Spend time with me tonight?"

Dawn's eyes widened. She looked at his hands and then his face and then his hands again. It took her a second to regain the ability to speak, and then once she had, she squeaked out, a, "Well, um, you see.." And he gazed at her with his big dreamy brown eyes and she felt like a bowl of ice cream sitting on a picnic table on a sunny day.

And then suddenly they weren't alone anymore. "Am I interrupting something?" the eldest blonde slayer asked, stepping up to stand shoulder to shoulder with Boo. Well more like shoulder to ear because she was much shorter than he was.

The brunette quickly pulled her hand away and shoved it into the pocket of her jeans. "Oh no we were just.. I mean.."

Boo cleared his throat. "I'll see you later Dawn," he said, and slide out of the doorway and headed towards the dormitories.

Once he was out of earshot Buffy tilted her head to one side. "Was he holding your hand?"

"No!" Dawn replied quickly. "I mean no. He just.. He just touched my hand. It wasn't a big deal."

"It wasn't? Your cheeks are super red." Buffy smiled. As melancholy as she had been, it was hard to be anything but grateful when she saw her sister actually happy for a change. It was no secret that Dawn had experienced quite a bit of hardship. After all, she'd only technically existed for going on three years. And in that time she'd been nearly sacrificed and watched her mother and her sister die, the later quite literally before her eyes. Buffy had been resurrected a bit later, but still. Buffy knew strife. She knew hardship. She knew pain and suffering and loneliness and depression. But so did Dawn. She couldn't deny that. And so seeing her do something as normal as blush around a boy made Buffy happy.

"They are not," Dawn said and put her palms over them. "He just walked me home." She brushed past her older sister, selected a booth and began to unload her book bag on either side of the wooden pew. Talking to Vi about her crush was one thing but she was not about to spill her heart out to her sister. Dawn shared a lot of things with Buffy, but romantic issues wasn't one of them. Besides, she wasn't sure how Buffy was doing since the whole D-Day thing and Spike burning up and Anya dying and all that and she wasn't ready to ask.

Buffy followed her. She hopped up on the back of the pew in front of the one her sister had chosen and let her legs swing in front of her. "Well as long as it's just walking home," she said, "because Giles is worried about cohabitation and.."

"BUFFY," Dawn squealed. "I'm not. I mean we're not!"

The blonde laughed. "I'll let Giles know," she said. Joking around with Dawn was a lot easier than hitting the hard topics. Their lives had been full of enough of those anyways. Still, it wasn't like the slayer could head off to New England and not tell her only family member. So she took a deep breath. "But hey," she said, her hands on her knees, "I want to talk to you about something."

It was that kind of conversation introduction that filled Dawn Summers with an insurmountable collection of anxiety. "Is it a bad something?" she asked, her Maths book laying open in her lap.

Truth be told, Buffy had no idea whether it was bad or good. Giles had seemed to think the entire situation to be a scam and even though she'd convinced him otherwise, she didn't actually believe herself. She wanted it to all be a big scam. She just wanted to get away and be a normal girl for awhile. She'd tried it in high school after she'd killed Angel. But as the only slayer (that they knew of at the time) she'd eventually given in to the urge to return and be a hero once more. This time, however, would be different. She could be really free.

In response to her sister's inquiry, Buffy shook her head. "No, no. Not bad. Just new. Giles has a mission for me and.."

"A mission?" Dawn asked. "A mission here though right? You're not leaving, right?"

The blonde swallowed. She was aware that Dawn was attached to her and she loved her more than anything. But still. She had to get away. At least for a while. "I won't be gone long," she told her. "It's just an investigation really. Probably would amount to anything more than some Nancy Drew level snooping."

"In England? In Kinareth?"

"Well," Buffy said. "Not exactly."

Dawn's hopeful face fell. "Buffy," she said. "I don't want you to go. Can't you tell him no? That you don't want to go?" She sat her textbook aside and stood up, the pencil she'd forgotten about clattering to the floor. "There are so many other slayers now," she argued. "I mean any of them could go instead."

Buffy got down from the pew, stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the younger girl's shoulders. "It's what I have to do Dawnie," she said. "I'm a slayer. I'm the slayer. The original. I gotta go where I am called."

"Can't they call one of the new slayers though?" Dawn asked. "I don't want to lose you." She stepped back then and revealed beading tears in her eyes. "Not again."

Buffy felt guilty. But at the back of her mind she did actually wonder if the HPL guy from the letters was on to something and it wasn't all fake and she wasn't just using it as an elaborate plan to get away from the mundane life she'd found in England. And that little bit of wonder was enough of a reason to go to Massachusetts, right? She bent down and retrieved Dawn's pencil. "You're not going to lose me," she said. "I just have to go, alright?"

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